Page 1 of Shattered In Darkness

1

LOLA

THE PAST (AGED 18)

The air is too quiet, even for a house full of grief.

I sit on the edge of my bed, knees pulled to my chest, staring at the wall. The scent of the mountains still lingers on my skin. I haven’t been able to wash it out.

Mom’s gone. Just like that. One slip on the trail, one scream echoing off the rocks, one day that split my life into before and after. The ache is all-consuming. There is an emptiness spreading inside of me, and I fear that it won’t ever go away. It’s like a black hole is swallowing me, pulling me into the depth of the abyss.

Brody’s here, next to me. He doesn’t touch me at first, just sits close enough that I can feel his heat, like a shield against the cold that’s wormed into my bones. Every time I start to shake, he nudges a little closer. Eventually, he takes my hand and holds it in his lap, his thumb tracing slow, steady circles over my skin.

“I’m so sorry,” he says, voice quiet. “I wish I could’ve done something. I wish I’d been there.”

I’m tired of being the girl whose mother died on the mountain while she watched. I’m tired of this endless sorrow.

“I just can’t believe she’s gone. Just like that. It was horrible, Brody. Terrible. All that blood. She barely screamed, because she was gone so fast. In seconds.”

I lean my head on his shoulder. Brody caresses my head and kisses the top of my hair. He is always there for me. He is like my security blanket. He’s the one good thing in my life that I have left.

Please don’t go too.

Footsteps move down the hall. Brody’s grip hardens.

Marcus appears in the doorway. He doesn’t knock, he never does. His eyes flick over me, then Brody. There’s something strange in them.

His voice is smooth, too gentle, like a man making a speech at a funeral he doesn’t care about. “You’re still in here, Lola? People are waiting to see you.” He glances at Brody with a thin, polite smile. “You too, son.”

I press my nails into my palm. “I just needed a minute,” I mumble.

Marcus walks into the room, not even pretending to respect the space between us. He stands close, his hand landing on my shoulder. It’s meant to be comforting, but it makes my body seize with terror. His grip tightens, almost possessive. “You know, your mother always was careless,” he says, voice soft but with a cold edge that makes Brody tense beside me. “Some people just don’t understand how dangerous the world can be. She left you behind, but I won’t. I’ll take care of you now. You’ll see.”

His thumb strokes my collarbone, too familiar.

Brody shifts, bristling. “She needs space,” he says, jaw clenched.

Marcus looks at Brody, and for a second, the mask drops. There’s a warning in his eyes. “Family doesn’t leave each other alone in times like this. Lola needs someone who knows how to keep her safe. Someone who won’t disappear when things get hard.”

I want to shrink away, but Marcus’s hand stays heavy on my shoulder. Something in his touch has changed. He lingers, his gaze too intent, as if seeing me as something other than his step-daughter.

There were some uncomfortable moments before, but he never got close like this.

“I’m here now, sweetheart,” Marcus says, eyes never leaving mine. “I’ll always be here. You belong right where you are.”

I can feel Brody’s anger beside me, simmering. I want to reach for him, but Marcus’s grip pins me in place. The room feels smaller, the world outside feels impossible. All I can do is sit there, trapped between the boy who makes me feel safe and the man who just claimed me as his own.

The ache in my chest grows. I realize, in that moment, that my mother’s death didn’t just leave me alone.

It left me exposed.

“Well, she’s fine for now. She has me, and I’m more than capable of making her feel better. You’re just her step-father; I’m her forever.” Brody’s voice rises, and I stiffen next to him. I know where this is heading. Brody can be very possessive of me at times, and I silently plead for him not to do this right now. “She belongs to me,” Brody says.

Marcus doesn’t budge. He squeezes my shoulder until my spine aches. “You don’t decide that, boy.”

My chest shrinks, oxygen going thin. I can’t fucking move as they stare each other down, wolves circling, muscles bunching for the next bite. I wonder if they might kill each other right here, on my bed, with my tears still wet on the sheets. I want to disappear. I want to sink into the carpet. Turn into a shadow crack.

Marcus tightens his grip, and for a second there’s nothing in those gray eyes. Flat. Like pond water. “Why don’t you go home, Brody? Let Lola grieve with her family.”